The Israeli authorities have opened free access to for tourists and pilgrims to the place on the Jordan River at Kasr Al-Yahud, a site sacred to Christians all over the world, where, according to the Gospels, our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized.

Previously, special permission and agreements were required from the military in order to visit the site of Christ's baptism. This will no longer be necessary.

We are delighted to announce that, on the occasion of the celebratory 50th Convention of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of America to be held in Chicago later this month, RIZA will present a display of vestments and ecclesiastical embroidery, to participants and visitors of this auspicious gathering.

Grateful for the opportunity to showcase RIZA’s humble contribution to the ecclesiastical arts of the Holy Orthodox Church, we look forward to meeting the clergy and laity of the Americas from the 25th-31st of July at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile Hotel. Please check the website for schedule details: www.archdioceseconvention2011.org. If you wish to make an appointment outside the appointed opening hours, please send us an email indicating a date and time suitable to you, and we will respond with confirmation.

Court, royal, aristocratic and other private libraries, such as the library of Emperor Constantine II, Patriarch Photius or his follower and disciple Aretas in Byzantium, were not unknown in the medieval Serbia. Attempts typological definition suggest the conclusion that, similar to the Byzantine and Western European medieval tradition, in the Serbian lands clearly stood out two types of libraries: private and monastic. In the first group there are included: royal libraries or the library collections of rulers, nobility, and later wealthy citizens, while the second group includes the collections at the churches, monasteries and their hermitages. The fall of Despotate (1459) and the Turkish yoke ended an announcement of the epoch of humanism and the Renaissance of the Serbs, which was reflected in the development of a number of private libraries.

On this day, 1561, the construction of the the Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat, known also as the cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed was finished. The Cathedral, built on the order of tzar Ivan the Terrible, was a witness of many great historical changes in Russia and remained a symbol of the Russian capital. 450 years agon, on this day the St. Basil's Cathedral was consecrated, erected on the order of tzar Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. According to the legend, tzar ordered to dig out eyes of the constructors of the cathedral, Borma and Postnik, so they could never build such a beautiful temple.

Art admirers of the world rejoice as Leonardo da Vinci's long lost masterpiece, "Salvator Mundi" (or "Saviour of the World") has been found and restored.

Art admirers of the world rejoice as Leonardo da Vinci's long lost masterpiece, "Salvator Mundi" (or "Saviour of the World") has been found and restored.

Once shrouded in mystery the public will son be able to view the piece for the first time at the London National Gallery this coming winter as part of the "Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan" exhibition.

The 26-by-18.5-inch oil painting depicts Christ cradling a globe in one hand while his other is raised in blessing.

On the premises of the Serbian Orthodox Church Municipality in Osijek on July 3, 2011 a panel was held Serbian Orthodox Crosses in Osijek (from 1690 until today). The organizer of this panel is Dr Milorad Miskovic, the keeper of the Serbian heritage in the area of Osijek, and this is a sequel of the cyclus of presentation Serbian cultural heritage of Osijek.

The panel was greeted by Osijek's parish priest protopresbyter-staurophor Ratomir Petrovic on the behalf of the hosts, and all the present were blessed by Bishop Lukijan of Osek-Polje.